2 Dealmakers Hijack the US

The richest person in the world has bought his way into the inner circle of power. With Elon Musk, Trump brought in a confidant, who, like himself, sees everything as a deal.

The richest man in the world has bought his way into the inner circle of power for the price of $130 million. This is roughly what Elon Musk invested in Donald Trump’s election campaign. Of course, this was not out of pure enthusiasm for the Republican who, during his first term in office, referred to Musk as a “bullshit artist.” Since the election, Tesla’s company value has risen to $304 billion. But this is just the first part of the deal.

The task now is to convert the market value of Tesla into profit. To accomplish this, the U.S. president-elect created the tech billionaire’s dream job: an agency specifically tailored for Musk, tasked with cutting government spending, or, in other words, to deregulat and reduce bureaucracy in the interests of large corporations. How the two men imagine this was already suggested during an interview on the social media platform X, purchased by Musk for $44 billion: Trump raved about the Tesla boss, commenting, “You’re the greatest cutter. I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you just say: ‘you want to quit?’ They go on strike — I won’t mention the name of the company — but they go on strike. And you say: ‘That’s okay, you’re all gone.'”

And Musk is not only permitted to make cuts, but also to make phone calls to heads of state, together with Trump, and to visit him in and out of his home. The Space X boss has finally become the most influential political influencer in America, and indeed, the whole world. A tycoon at the helm of the new government, who eludes the structures of authority and has simultaneously been given many far-reaching powers.

For example, Ukraine isn’t the only country depending on the Starlink satellite internet service. The billionaire can decide whether to block access for one customer or for an entire country. In combination with the appointment of Marco Rubio as secretary of state, this could lead to a dictated peace for Ukraine. Kyiv should pursue a negotiated solution with Russia, instead of concentrating everything on recapturing all the lost territories, Rubio has said in interviews. Starlink is also an excellent means of exerting pressure in an economic dispute with Europe.

The composition of the future security team in Trump’s cabinet may offer slight reassurance to Europe: Rep. Mike Waltz as national security adviser and Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. are seen as more traditional conservatives, rather than isolationists, at least as far as Europe is concerned.

Loyal and Telegenic

It wouldn’t be Trump if he didn’t also select his team based on being telegenic, and, above all, unconditionally loyal. Trump surrounds himself with loyal colleagues. This is the biggest difference from his first term in office, when he had to rely on the Republican establishment.

Overall, the selection of his team is a demonstration of power by Trump, who is firmly convinced that America can also be handled like a company, and if necessary, the administrative apparatus can be wound up. It’s not for nothing that the dealmaker and showman has brought in Musk, another dealmaker and showman, as a confidant and influencer. But as soon as one steals the show from the other, they could regret their mutual support.